Sam Querrey and John Isner have both been left stunned by what they’ve heard about Aryna Sabalenka’s greatness, summed up in stats form.
The Belarusian overcame great adversity on her way to the US Open title, having lost her last two Grand Slam finals earlier this year.
Despite all these hardships, it did not deter her from playing her bruising brand of tennis, even if she did revert to a more defensive style against Amanda Anisimova.
If anything, that just emphasises the remarkable variance that the world number one boasts, now clearly able to adapt to any situation after struggling so much in Paris to deal with the conditions in the final.
However, what has really spearheaded Aryna Sabalenka’s stunningly consistent year is her tiebreak record, which was extended to 19 straight triumphs in the US Open final.
Sam Querrey and John Isner react to Aryna Sabalenka’s tiebreak record
Reacting to that figure on the Nothing Major podcast, Querrey first contextualised the statistic for his fellow pundits.
He noted: “Sabalenka has won 19 straight tiebreakers. She has not lost a breaker since February. We talked about this the other day. That is one of the most insane stats that I have ever heard in my life. Sabalenka knows this, and in the press conference the other day, she knows the streak she is on.
“So I heard her mention that when I get into a tiebreaker, will this be the one? Will this be where it ends?
“That is one of the most insane stats in tennis.”
Isner then added: “That is insane, especially in women’s tennis. She does have an incredible serve, maybe the best on Tour. But she is not getting free points all the time in the tiebreaker to make it a little bit easier for herself.
“Take it from someone who won a lot of tiebreakers, 19 in a row is insane.”
Querrey did admit he was a little surprised by this run though, claiming: “She can be hit and miss sometimes. She hits the ball so big that occasionally she sprays three or four shots.”
Isner dispelled his worries though, concluding: “She always goes after her shots, though. That is her superpower. She never lets up on any shot.”
Another American pundit was keen to praise the 27-year-old too, with Andy Roddick praising one decision Sabalenka made before the US Open even began.
Aryna Sabalenka taking a page from Novak Djokovic’s book
As a good friend of Djokovic’s, it’s only natural that Sabalenka would have been keen to take whatever traits she could from one of the greatest players of all time.
However, few would have expected her to become the tiebreak queen, ironically just as the Serbian’s powers have begun to wane.
Regardless of how his record has faltered throughout the last two years, he still sits at a remarkable win/loss record of 346 – 186.
Across a career that has spanned two decades, he boasts a 65% win rate in tiebreaks.
And now, with the unbeaten run she is enjoying, Sabalenka will hope to finish her career with a similarly legendary statistic in what is the measure of a player’s mental fortitude.
